May 09, 2017•Update: May 09, 2017
By Enes Kaplan and Ilkay Guder
KUWAIT CITY
Regional peace is essential for global peace, visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.
The Turkish president said that the peace in the world "depends on the stability in our region," which he said "depends on our resolute stance".
Erdogan's remarks came at a groundbreaking ceremony of a new main terminal being built by a Turkish company at the Kuwait International Airport.
Speaking at the event, Erdogan hailed the role played by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah in advancing the Gulf country.
“My dear brother Emir Sheikh Sabah is the main reason behind Kuwait’s progress,” Erdogan said. "The exemplary leadership of Emir of Kuwait is a chance for the Kuwaiti people and our region."
Erdogan said the world had also seen in Syria "leaders who ignore the peace, happiness and demands of their people".
"We have seen an example in Syria of the kind of situations [such] leaders can get their countries into," he said. "We would like to see friendly and brother countries governed by leaders who serve their people, not oppress them.
"We would like to see the countries, for which have a special place in our hearts, to be built up with the help of capable and fair leaders, not destroyed by tyrants."
Erdogan calls for more Kuwaiti investments in Turkey
As for the airport terminal, Erdogan underlined his confidence in Turkey's Limak Group, which has undertaken its construction.
In 2015, Limak won the tender for the construction of the airport terminal at a total cost of $4.3 billion -- the largest tender won abroad in a single package by Turkish contractors.
Erdogan called for more investment from Kuwaiti businessmen, voicing hope that the $1.7 billion that Kuwaiti businessmen had invested in Turkey would increase.
Talks between the Turkish and Kuwaiti leaders are expected to tackle bilateral relations and a host of regional and international issues.
